Restaurant Ten: A Herbalicious Dinner!

First thing first, this post is about 2 and a half month late when the girlfriend and I celebrated our 4th anniversary, so I probably won't live till the 5th if I drag it further..

Anyway, Valentine's Day is really round the corner! Guys, got your roses and teddies yet? Well if you are tired of all the usual fanciful Italian/French dinners with prices magically adjusted upwards, why not consider bringing the lady to a slightly different place for dinner? A Chinese dinner at Restaurant Ten, to be exact!



Located in one of the shophouses along Purvis Street, Restaurant Ten is not your typical Chinese restaurant as it emphasize heavily on wellness (养生) for the body, using Chinese herbs and natural ingredients for its dishes. With clean, white furnishing, I wouldn't exactly call the ambience romantic, but I find it really nice for a quiet dinner for two, as the friendly Ms Doris attended to our every needs.

We decided to go with two different set dinners for the night, the Abalone Stone Pot Set (ASP)($38.00++) and Cod Fish Mini Abalone Set (CFMA)($48.00++) so that we could try a variety of their signature dishes!


Hawthrone Juice Shooter, Marinated Pumpkin Slices ($3.00)

Served as general starters, drinking the sourish juice felt like eating a stack of the sliced round snack at one go, while Doris told us that the pumpkin slices were mixed with passionfruit for a sweet aftertaste, modified from a Taiwanese dish that used papaya instead of pumpkin. Both whetted our appetite for dinner proper!



Chilled Abalone Braised with Dang Gui (CFMA), Egg White with Dried Scallop in Potato Nest (ASP, CFMA)

Sitting aloof on an icebed, the mini one was very heavily infused with the Chinese herb and could be too bitter for some. I guess abalones are still better off in soups for me.

The warm egg white was wonderfully light and fluffy, with the bits of dried scallops adding a savoury touch. Taken with a bite of the crunchy nest and a zest of apple cider, the combination was just amazing!



Double-Boiled Duck with Pear Soup (ASP), Double-Boiled Hashima with Chicken Soup (CFMA)

Full-bodied and hearty, generous amount of quality ingredients were put into the two tiny pots and made us lap up every single drop! Though if I had to choose, the duck soup came out slightly on top with its pear sweetness.


Apple Lotus with Fresh Cabbage (ASP)

Tasting like a Chinese version of Waldorf Salad, this felt even more healthy by adding lotus bits and wolfberry. Deserves an encore!



Crispy Tofu with Mushroom and Golden Bamboo (CFMA)

Shaped like a fried yam ball, the crispy skin gave way to tofu with bits of mushroom. This was paired with juicy dragonfruit and a sauce which I apologise that I completely cannot recall what it was.



Abalone and Shark’s Fins Fragrant Rice in Stone Pot (ASP)

Served bubbling hot, I liked how they used a fried rice base for this, very comforting to eat with the sticky, rich stock. Abalone and fins? They were really just secondary to the pot of yummy mui fan!



Braised Cod Fish with Fermented Rice Wine and Fresh Lily Bulbs

I was anticipating this after seeing it in a friend's pictures (you know who you are!) and boy, was it good! Fresh, tender chunks of cod fish in a fragrant alcoholic sauce, mopping it all up with a steamed bun served in a cute little bamboo steamer. I could order a full portion of this!



Double-Boiled Aloe Vera with Honey (ASP), Double Combination Dessert (CFMA)

Unfortunately, we had to close with rather flat-tasting desserts. The icy drink was a little diluted, while there was nothing special about the strawberry coconut mousse and pear juice combi.

Including towel and water, bill for two was $114.17 after taxes. A little pricey as the portions here could be inadequate for big eaters, though I was satisfied with the amount of variety, comfortable settings and welcoming service. Forget about the usual candlelit dinners, give Valentine's a healthy, Chinese twist!

Restaurant Ten
7 Purvis Street #01-01
Tel: 6333 9901
Click here for website

Taken with Nikon D70